


Greek Mythology: Disaster Gays with Swords

by itsyaboimothman



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Percy Jackson Fusion, Child of Aphrodite Shinso (and Aizawa!), Child of Athena Midoriya, Dadzawa, Gay Disaster Shinsou Hitoshi, M/M, Parental Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Pining Midoriya Izuku, Pining Shinsou Hitoshi, Yagi Toshinori | All Might is Midoriya Izuku's Parent, also Iida is grover because think about it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:22:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22394725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsyaboimothman/pseuds/itsyaboimothman
Summary: If the world could cut Hitoshi a break sometime that would be nice. He thought life was hard enough when he was just dealing with school and shitty kids, but now he has to deal with shitty gods who've accused him of stealing from the king of gods? Now Hitoshi is expected to clear his name, stop a godly war, and save his dad from a pissed off divine being. With his best friend Tenya Iida and his new friend and crush Izuku Midoriya, Hitoshi is going to have to survive the monsters and immortals out for his blood.other known as a percy Jackson x bnha crossover!!
Relationships: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Shinsou Hitoshi, Iida Tenya & Midoriya Izuku, Iida Tenya & Shinsou Hitoshi, Midoriya Izuku/Shinsou Hitoshi
Comments: 65
Kudos: 157
Collections: Reading





	1. Hitoshi is petty, pretty, and pissed

Hitoshi thought, all things considered, that he’s been pretty good at looking on the bright side of things.  
Kicked out of another school? At least he doesn’t have to turn in that essay on the book he didn’t read.  
The other kids thought he was freak? He didn’t like socializing in the first place.  
His mom left after he was born? It wasn’t like he and his dad needed her. Optimistic, Hitoshi might say if someone asked for a description of himself. How else would he have been able to put up with all this bullshit? Usually, that what he’d say. Lately, even his own attempt to override his natural affinity for pessimism was being shoved to the back of his mind—his life was going to hell and he knew it.

Right now, Hitoshi would probably describe himself as petty, pretty, and pissed. He had good reason to, and it all started with a field trip with his Latin class.

In Hitoshi’s short, miserable life he’d figured out a few key things — though not near the top of his list— not enjoying museums was one of them. Looking through boring, breakable items was not his idea of a good time. Yet here he was, dragging himself alongside his classmates to look through the ancient artwork of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Sure, yeah, Hitoshi knows this stuff is important and impressive and whatever, but it all seemed obituary in comparison to him being at home  _ asleep.  _

Most of his classmates seemed of similar thoughts. Everyone seemed dead on their feet as they trudged through the different sections, led by their wheel-chair-bound teacher Mr. Brunner who was looking at the artwork with an odd glint in his eyes. He glanced at the statues and paintings with a sense of grief almost, an odd expression for the guy.

Hitoshi had decided Mr. Brunner was okay for a teacher a while back. He was still a teacher, so he wasn’t great or anything, but he was the only teacher that made Hitoshi feel like he actually had a chance at figuring things out. He was more patient than the rest of them, not getting frustrated when Hitoshi lost place of where they were in the reading. He didn’t try to butt in and ask Hitoshi why he wasn’t working with the kids in his group for projects, as long as Hitoshi turned something in, Mr. Brunner didn’t care whether is a group copy or a personal one.

It was a nice change.

For Mr. Brunner’s sake, he tried to look interested every once and a while, letting his eyes trail over a piece of artwork when he felt his teacher’s gaze.

The only kid who didn’t seem to be pretending to enjoy themselves was his tentative friend, Iida.

Iida had been his kind-of-friend for a while. Iida was built like a tank, all points, and edges. He was stern and didn’t tolerate misdemeanors in the slightest— he was kind though. He’d reprimand Hitoshi for falling asleep during class but then slide over his notes so that he wouldn’t fall behind. Hitoshi would call them friends, but friends were hard to have and Iida was easy to be around.

As they wandered the museum Iida would point out some of the more famous pieces for Hitoshi, occasionally asking Mr. Brunner if he knew anything else about the object than what the plaque on the artifact said. Iida had shoved Hitoshi to the front of the group with him, telling him it was for their own academic good that they stay near the front of the crowd.

Iida might have said that, but Hitoshi felt like it probably had something to do with the teacher who watched the back of the line: Ms. Dodds. Ms. Dodds was a bitter old woman, winkles creasing her face as she dueled out nasty looks along with detentions. It had seemed that she decided from the moment she saw Hitoshi that she despised him.

Hitoshi was used to it.

He had found that people usually had strong feelings about him, and those feelings were generally negative.

When he met new people, which given the frequency of him getting kicked out of schools or moving was quite often, they generally went through the same process: Infatuation to Loathing.

People often liked him at first glance. He’d feel people’s stares on him as he walked in the hallway or when he was hunched over his notebook in class. Lovesick gazes when he nervously run his hand through his hair or when they heard him speak in class. Notes in his locker professing emotions though they’d never talked to him, telling him he was beautiful, otherworldly.

They’d usually stop for a myriad of reasons: they found out Hitoshi was gay, Hitoshi didn’t bother pretending to like them back, or usually, they just realized that they didn’t like him nearly as much when he became more than just a pretty face. 

He was used to it, so when Ms. Dodds had hated him almost immediately, he hadn’t been too surprised.

As they walked, Hitoshi could feel Ms. Dodds’s steady glare kept on him. She was being more weird than usual though, an unnerving weird that made Hitoshi’s skin crawl. She had interrupted students to answer Mr. Brunner’s questions a few times now, staring intently at Hitoshi as she described how the Greek titan, Kronos, had devoured his children. Hitoshi forced himself to look away from her, he could swear that if he focused on for too long, she would glitch. She’d have pointed teeth, leathery skin, or blood-red eyes without pupils — Hitoshi knew his head was just playing tricks on him, but it was making him nervous.

Well, he had figured it was just his head, it usually was.

Things like that happened a lot. He’d brought it up to his father once, how someone’s image would flicker and he’d see some kind of eldritch horror for a split second. He’d been afraid that his dad would put him on meds or something, but his dad had just stared at him for a second and told him he needed to be careful. His dad had dug an old box out of his closet, hidden beneath layers of clothes he hadn’t put in the hamper after a long shift at the station. There had been a necklace inside, a thick black leather cord with a pearl in between two small knots. His father had clasped the cord around his neck and told him gruffly that it would help keep him safe. His father hadn’t explained any further, but Hitoshi kept it on anyway.

If it was protecting him that Hitoshi would loathe seeing what his life would be like  _ without  _ it because with it, it was still nasty.

Their group had been looking around for almost an hour when Mr. Brunner declared it a lunch break. They all filed outside the museum, disrupting the nearby people who probably didn’t want to deal with irritating teens. He sat on the ledge of a fountain with Iida, distancing himself from the rest of the group. Iida wasn’t overjoyed at being apart from everyone else but he seemed hesitant to leave Hitoshi by himself.

Iida had been weird all day, his hands shaking with nerves and his eyes darting around the room whenever there was a noise. He’d shift a little closer to Hitoshi, trying to be subtle about it. Hitoshi had figured that if something was scaring Iida, he’d have to be a dick to push him away. Hitoshi was aware that he wouldn’t be the best at protecting someone, but if the guy was reassured by standing a little closer than it was fine.

They had only been sitting a few minutes, considering the best strategy for retrieving their lunches from the school bus without running into their peers too much, when Hitoshi heard his name.

Ms. Dodds.

She was in front of him, glaring at him with beady eyes. Hitoshi felt whiplash, he hadn’t seen or heard her approach but now she was in front of him, hands on her hips as she snarled. In a scathing tone, she told him she had something to discuss with him, and that it would be best if he is complacent.

“I haven’t done—” Hitoshi had started. There wasn’t a reason for her to give him detention or lecture him today, he’d been on his best behavior. He’d been involved in a fight somewhat recently after hearing someone call another kid the f-slur— his father hadn’t been mad at him for throwing a punch but the principle had been. He was on probation, if he got in trouble again, he’d most likely be suspended.

Hitoshi could have sworn she had talons as she gripped his wrist, long nails pressed into his skin.

_ Now.  _ She had told him, pointing a crooked finger at the steps back into the gallery.

Hitoshi couldn’t recall the walk into the museum, but suddenly he was standing amongst statues. The gallery was empty and Ms. Dodds was in front of a large marble frieze of the Greek Gods.

“You’ve been giving us problems.” Ms. Dodds said, a weird growling noise curling around her words.

Hitoshi went for the safe option, “Yes, ma’am,” he said, hoping he wouldn’t be stuck with her long. She made him nervous and it was intimidating to be with a teacher alone.

“Did you really think you could get away with it?”

There was a glint in her eyes, more than just mad or irritated. It looked evil, promising brutality and fear. She continued, creeping closer to him. “We are not fools, Hitoshi Aizawa. It was only a matter of time before we found you. Confess and your punishment will not be as great.”

“Ma’am, I don’t—” He told her, confused and nervous.

“Your time is up.” She hissed.

Her body glitched. Her eyes turned red, glowing as the rest of her body shriveled and blackened into an ashy color as if she’d been burned. Her clothes melted into large wings, her fingers became talons, and her teeth formed into fangs. Hitoshi waited for the image to switch back but it didn’t.

Hitoshi stumbled backward, terrified of the creature in front of him.

He heard footsteps behind him, unmistakably Iida’s who walked with heavy steps, and the turning of wheels.

He tried to ignore them as he crept back to put more distance between him and the creature. He wanted to yell at them to run but he was afraid of the creature discovering they were there. Suddenly, it lunged at him and Hitoshi jumped.

_ NO.  _

Hitoshi thought. He couldn’t be killed; his dad would be devastated. If he was killed the monster would move on to the people being him. Hitoshi felt a weird tingle inside of him and he spoke, a smooth noise dripping with a power he hadn’t known he had.

“ _ Don’t come closer. GO AWAY.”  _ Hitoshi commanded, his terror being hidden behind his words.

For some reason, the beast seemed to listen. It stepped back, parts of his arms and legs blowing off in a cloud of yellow dust. Its eyes glazed over as it mindlessly listened.

It lasted only a minute before it tore off the trick, screeching with anger.

From behind him, he heard Mr. Brunner tell him to catch something.

He saw a glint of metal in the air and he caught the things handle, too hyped on adrenaline to be impressed at his own ability to catch a knife without being cut.

The creature flew at him, and filled with fear, Hitoshi did the only thing that felt natural: he stabbed the knife into her, slashing through her chest with a sharp blade. The monster exploded into powder and Hitoshi was left alone in the gallery, knife in hand and filled with absolute terror.

With shaking hands, he walked back outside, surprised that security hadn’t stopped him due to the weapon. He saw Mr. Brunner watching over the kids and Iida sitting on the bench by the fountain as if nothing had happened. Hitoshi approached Mr. Brunner.

“I-I have your—” Hitoshi started to stutter.

“Yes, please bring your own writing utensils in the future, Mr. Aizawa.” Mr. Brunner told him, gesturing to what used to a knife in his hands. Though the object felt just as heavy as before, it was just a ballpoint pen sitting in his hands.

Wordlessly, Hitoshi handed over the pen.

“What about—”

“And please, don’t wander off by yourself again. I’d rather not leave a student behind.”

Had he imagined it?

He couldn’t have.

That was too real to be fake and his blood was still pumped with energy.

It couldn’t have been— 

He found himself next to Iida, walking over there without realizing it.

He might have been able to convince himself that it hadn’t been real, that his mind was trying to screw with him again.

But sitting there was Iida, wearing a forced look of nonchalance. Iida wasn’t a good liar, so when Hitoshi asked him what the fuck had just happened, and Iida had told him that he’d been waiting for Hitoshi to  _ get back from the bathroom _ for a while, he knew it was bullshit. When Hitoshi pressed Iida would just ask him in a wobbly voice what he meant. Hitoshi was freaked out and pissed.

They got back on the school bus, the two of them sitting in silence. Not their usual passive silence, but a tense one as they sat in limbo.

As they got off, Iida looked at him, grabbing his arm.

“I need to grab my bag from the classroom, but please allow me to walk you home. I can’t explain anything right now, but I can help keep you safe.”

Hitoshi nodded, a scratchy feeling in his throat. It wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but it was a slight confirmation that he wasn’t crazy.

Maybe, Hitoshi hoped, his dad would know what was going on.


	2. Aizawa Deserves a "Number One Dad" Coffee Cup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dadzawa is the only valid parent ngl

Okay, so maybe ditching Iida at the first possible chance was a dick-move, but it was a _well-founded_ dick-move. Hitoshi would be the first to admit that he wasn’t great with people on his best days, but on a day where he was both _attacked by a monster_ and then lied to about what happened? Hitoshi was not in the mood to put up with people who were annoying him, and Iida was, without a doubt, getting on his last nerve.

Hitoshi had been hoping for answers— a simple “you’re not crazy”—but instead, his friend seemed frazzled, looking over his shoulder every few seconds. Iida looked as if he’d injected caffeine into his bloodstream, hyped on adrenaline and nerves. He was muttering to himself too, something that he rarely did. The first time Iida had done it he’d apologized profusely, hesitantly explaining that it was a bad habit he’d picked up from a friend of his It wasn’t the talking that was pissing Hitoshi off— no, it was what he was saying. He heard him whisper out plans under his breath, halfway through some weird thought of self-defense when he’d shake his head or jolt out of it because of a sudden noise behind him. When Iida said, “He’s already sixteen, there’s no way we’ll make it in time,” Hitoshi lost it. The looks Iida was sending him weren’t helpful either, staring at him woefully as if he was on his deathbed.

When Iida made them stop at a Starbucks so he could use their bathroom (Iida’s bladder seemed particularly affected by his nerves), Hitoshi booked it.

It wasn’t like Hitoshi really needed an escort home anyway. Yeah, the demon-creature had been terrifying, but he was surrounded by people— safety in numbers, right? — and once he got home, he’d be with his dad.

If there was one person who wouldn’t take shit from an otherworldly beast, it was his dad.

His dad, without a doubt, was one of the coolest people Hitoshi knew. He worked at the police station, but that was all Hitoshi was allowed to know. His cases were classified, and the one time his dad had “brought work home with him,” he was on the phone with someone, asking them to pick up the man—twice his size—who was handcuffed to the kitchen table.

His dad was one of the most caring people he knew too. Most people wouldn’t assume that about him — his dad wasn’t the type to put up with stupidity or people not working hard. He’d tell people when they weren’t doing their job well and wasn’t afraid to reprimand people in the wrong. He was in a constant state of tiredness and could put up with people even less than Hitoshi could— but he cared far too much about everyone. He’d come home late sometimes because he was walking someone home after it got dark. He checked in with people he knew often, less than a phone call away the minute someone he knew needed help. He brought home stray cats because he couldn’t stand the idea of them having to be alone and hungry. He took care of Hitoshi, loving him without a second thought.

He’d given up far too much for Hitoshi and Hitoshi couldn't help but hate himself for it sometimes. His dad deserved the world, but instead, he was stuck with him. The time Hitoshi could recall this feeling the most was with his dad’s "friend" Yamada. He remembered sitting in his room and hearing them talk through the thin walls. His dad had told Yamada, that yes, he did love him, but he couldn’t be with him right now — he had to watch out for Hitoshi and loving someone else was a distraction he couldn’t afford.

Yamada hadn’t left them though, and the fond way they looked at each other hadn’t stopped—whenever Hitoshi caught a glance of it, he felt guilt settle in his stomach.

Hitoshi would give up just about anything for his dad too.

Hitoshi considered this as he walked into their apartment, greeted by several cats who lead him over to an already full cat dish. They were creatures of habit if nothing else. Their apartment was small and cluttered. Most people assumed that—given his father’s strict nature— the house would be put together. However, his father found it irrational to put away, most of the mess, claiming that moving it around so that the house looked _tidy_ would just cause them to lose things. The only time the house got cleaned was when Yamada complained that he’d lost something after coming over for dinner — his father would grumble that it was his own fault for forgetting where he put it, but the house would be neater in the coming days and Yamada’s lost object would be waiting for him on a wiped down kitchen-counter.

So, as he walked in— nearly tripping on several miscellaneous objects— Hitoshi was filled with a sense of belonging that only comes from feeling at home.

“Hitoshi? That you, kid?” Called out a voice from the kitchen, spurred on by the sound of Hitoshi crashing into several objects.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Hitoshi called back, heading towards the kitchen so that he could go through his daily routine of opening the refrigerator until he gave into the idea of eating something he didn’t really want to. ( This was typically pudding that his dad stole from his ‘attention-addict worker who can have his pudding when he decides to use more than one-brain cell to solve a case” who often made the mistake of leaving them in the station’s fridge. They all had his name scrawled over them in black Sharpy, but his father sternly ignored the labels).

His dad was sitting on a stool at the counter, a hefty cup of coffee sitting in front of him. Hitoshi wandered over to the fridge and thought about what he should say to his dad, he _knew_ that what had happened was important and scary and needed to be told to an adult. Just as he opened his mouth to tell his dad about it, the words feeling like acid in his mouth, his father spoke up.

“Kid, there’s something we need to talk about. You’re sixteen now, and that means things are going to start getting weird okay?” His dad started, looking apprehensive. Oh god, oh fuck, don’t let this be—

“Please tell me this isn’t the sex talk, I’ve had Sex Ed and I don’t need any more details than that, I promise,” Hitoshi interjected. He loves his dad, but there was no way he was mentally prepared to have another sex talk.

His dad just sighed, looking down at his cup of coffee as he spoke. “It’s not that. Your mother— well, she told me that things were going to get dangerous if you were like her.”

“What, was she a screw up too?” Hitoshi blurted. Seeing the I’m-going-to-lecture-you-on-self-worth-if-you-don’t-correct-that-sentence look on his father’s face, he backpedaled, 

“I’m sorry, it’s just,” Hitoshi got caught on the last bit of the sentence, cutting himself off suddenly,” Wait, what do you mean by dangerous?”

His dad looked at him with an unreadable expression, a melancholy look in his eyes, glazed over by a forced blank face. “I can’t tell you all my secrets, kid.” Hitoshi tried not to push most of the time, but given today’s events, he figured that option wasn’t available. “Dad? I think—I think this might be something I need to know”

Hitoshi glanced at his dad again, was that look fearful? What was his dad afraid of?

“She told me that keeping you close to me this long was a mistake, but I couldn’t — There’s only one other option, a place your mother wanted me to send you– I just, I’m scared you might not come back.“

Hitoshi couldn’t tell if his dad meant to say all of that out loud, but he responded anyway.

“I don’t care what she wants if she wanted an opinion on my life than she should have stayed.”

His dad shook his head, “I don’t think it was her choice, kid.”

Hitoshi hated when his dad did that when he made excuses for her not being there like somehow there was something out there that justified her not caring about him his whole life.

Instead of saying this, since that conversation never went anywhere, he asked, “Where did she want to send me?”

His dad maintained a steady glare at the coffee cup, “it’s a summer camp”.

Neither of them said anything for a moment, stewing in the tense silence.

“You don’t want me to go though, right? You want me here, with you?” Hitoshi could tell that his voice wavered a bit, but he was _scared._ He’d already driven one parent away, and he knew that his dad loved him, but—

His dad’s eyes shot straight up.

“Of course, I do. There’s a reason you’re still here — I’ve been selfish, convincing myself that I can keep you safe, I’m just — things might start happening, and I need you to tell me when they do.”

The story burned in Hitoshi’s mouth, this was the time to share it, his dad needed to know. His face must have shifted or something because his dad’s eyes widened slightly.

“Hitoshi, what aren’t you telling me?”

Before he could answer, there was a pounding at their front door. His father got up slowly, creeping towards that entrance with a suspicious prowl. The front door burst open, the lock busted.

“Oh, thank gods you’re here,” The figure standing in the doorway proclaimed, “What were you thinking?”

It was Iida, only not exactly him—

Hitoshi was staring at his friend, at the new features— 

He was frozen, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“It’s right behind me, didn’t you tell him?” Iida yelled.

His dad overcame his shock before Hitoshi did. He quickly grabbed his car keys off the counter, took a piece of paper and hurriedly scrawled a note across it (Hitoshi couldn’t see it, but absentmindedly figured that it was for Yamada who often cat-sat for his Dad).

“You can explain more in the car, we have to go.”

His dad tugged on Hitoshi’s hand, pulling him outside.

Iida scattered off ahead of them and Hitoshi stared in shock at him. He wasn’t running— he was trotting; he wasn’t wearing pants— his legs were covered in a shaggy fur; where his feet had been were cloven hooves— Iida, unmistakably, was not human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i can't believe that when brainstorming this i had the audacity to forget how much i loved Yamada
> 
> thank you so much for reading!! i hope you enjoyed it!!! life is b u s y ( and someone commented on a fic i abandoned a while ago and it filled my brain with the urge to rewrite and continue it, so i've been trying to focus on b o t h this fic and that one)   
> but!!!! i'm hoping to have the next chapter out in less time than it took for this one loll. 
> 
> also dw!! the shindeku is coming soon!!! there's just a lot of set up ://///  
> thanks again for checking out my story!!!


	3. Sorry Dadzawa :/

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :O bull-boy come in and make things nasty  
> sorry Aizawa, I had to do it to 'em

There was a screeching noise as the tires skid across the road and an onslaught of sudden rain lashed against the car. It was wonder that his dad could see anything at all through the blurry windshield—and maybe he couldn’t—but he kept a harsh pressure on the gas pedal.

The three of them sat in the car, a tense silence as they tore through the night. Hitoshi tried to hide the wide-eyed look that he kept shooting his friend, but given the unamused expression on Iida’s face, it was clear that he’d caught on.

“So, am I just not to supposed to mention the half-donkey thing?” Hitoshi finally blurted out, a little fed up with the lack of an explanation. Iida looked offended, making a sharp gasp—no, a bleat? F u c k.

“Goat!” Iida cried, shooting him a glare. Hitoshi felt like every answer he got just left him more confused.

“I-what?”

“I’m half- _goat_ ,” Iida insisted, sounding fed up.

His dad sighed from the front seat, “Iida, given the circumstances I think we can afford to clarify some of the necessities.”

“Aah, I suppose. I’m a satyr.”  
“A fucking, _what._ Like, from Mr. Brunner’s myths?”

“Was Ms. Dodds a myth, Hitoshi?” 

“I-I-I—, Dad, what the hell is happening?”

“Hitoshi, there’s too much to explain and not enough time. We’re trying to get you to safety.”

“Safety?”

“Oh, nobody much,” Iida said, obviously miffed about the donkey thing. “Just the Lord of the Dead and his blood-thirsty minions.”

“Iida!” His dad reprimanded sharply, his grip on the stirring wheel making his knuckles go white.

Iida looked apologetically smug, “Uh, sorry. May I suggest driving faster?

Smug? No, nervous. Iida was definitely nervous.

Hitoshi was trying to wrap his head around what was happening but he kept hitting dead ends. There was a shaking outside their car as the world shook with furious thunder, and everything he thought he knew about reality was starting to melt away. He was torn between looking out the window and being terrified that the world would start glitching, and this time it would be real. Had it always been real—

Hitoshi felt his body jolt hard to the left as his dad made a sharp turn, swerving onto a narrow road that was sparsely lined with signs that marketed strawberry picking.

“Dad, where are we going,” Hitoshi asked, his mouth feeling dry and rough. He had a nauseating feeling in his stomach, an unease that crawling up his spine.

His dad’s voice was tense as he spoke, “I know we didn’t really get to talk about it, but it’s the summer camp I mentioned to you earlier.”

Hitoshi felt an unpleasant weight in his gut.

“The place you didn’t want me to go?”

“Hitoshi please, this is hard enough, please try to understand”

“I thought you wanted—”

“Hitoshi, I do want you, and I will _always_ want you to be with me, okay? But I can’t—you have to be safe kid.” His dad’s voice sounded rough, taking on that scratchy sound it always did before his dad would leave a conversation, coming back out later with red-tinted eyes.

Hitoshi was getting scared and worried.

Hitoshi saw something out of the corner of his eye in the window and his dad pulled the wheel hard to the right, avoiding the glimpse of a figure that was lost in the distance.

“What was that?”

His dad ignored his question, muttering to himself “please, please, we’re almost there, please” in a harsh whisper.

Hitoshi tried to think out the situation, to explain to himself what was happening on some level. He had almost developed a question for Iida, something along the lines of what was Ms.Dodds, when there’s a blinding flash of light, and the shattering explosion of their car blasting apart.

Hitoshi felt weightless for a second, frying under a scathingly bright light, and the crushing slam of metal as the car swerved into a ditch. He pulled himself off the back of the driver’s seat with a small whimper, _ouch_.

“Hitoshi!” His dad shouted.

“I’m alright…”

Hitoshi tried to shake off the dizziness. The car was wedged into the ground, the roof cracked open and rain pouring through them, soaking them to the bone.

Lightning, they had been electrified. Fuck. Next to him was a motionless lump—fuck, Iida. Iida was slumped over, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. Fuck, no, Iida can’t die—even if he was part barnyard, he was his best friend, fuck—

Iida groaned slightly, and Hitoshi sighed with relief.

“Hitoshi,” His dad started, “we have to...” His voice faltered, he was looking at something behind Hitoshi.

Hitoshi looked behind him, and through the flash of lighting and the shattered windshield, he saw a giant creature dragging its way towards them.

“Hitoshi,” His dad told him, stone cold and serious, “Get out of the car.”

His dad threw himself against the driver’s door but it was jammed shut. The top of the car was sizzling. The passenger’s side creaked open. He could see a trickle of blood running down the side of his dad’s face. He could tell his dad was trying to hide his terror, but he had a resigned determination in his eyes.

“Hitoshi, you have to run—do you see that big tree?”

“ _What_?”

“That’s the property line, get over the hill and you’ll see a big farmhouse. Yell for help, _but don’t look back._ ” His dad spoke firmly, a dominating presence that was hard to ignore, except Hitoshi—"Dad I can’t leave you.”

His dad was pale, his eyes sad and scared. He was staring at the tree, urging Hitoshi to run.

“No, you are coming with me. Help me grab Iida.” Hitoshi told him, unwavering.

From the backseat, Iida groaned, a rumbled “Food”.

The creature was getting closer, huge meaty flesh getting closer, the vivid smell of wet fur. Huge horns glinting in the illuminated sky when a lightning bolt would strike.

“He doesn’t want us, he wants you,” His dad pleaded, “Besides, I can’t cross the property line.”

“We’re going together, come on, dad.” Hitoshi urged him, pulling lightly at his hand. He couldn’t leave his dad, he couldn’t leave him, he couldn’t—

His dad held his hand briefly, but pulled back.

“I told you to—”

Hitoshi was getting angry, angry at how desperate he felt, how scared his dad was, the blood on Iida, the lumbering bull like monster closing in on them. He climbed over to the passenger seat and pushed the door open.

“Dad, I’m not leaving without you,” Hitoshi felt a stabbing sensation, a dizzying pain that shot through his body like someone had shot him full of icyhot pain reliever. The cold sludge in his veins rang as he spoke, “ _Dad, Help me with Iida_ ”.

His Dad’s eyes glazed over for a brief second, and then they were dragging Iida out of the car, draping his arms over their shoulders and stumbling through grass.

Hitoshi glanced back, getting a clear view of the beast. Strikingly tall, bulging muscles that looked as if they were tearing through his skin, and furred brown hair that created a thick pelt across the thing’s body. Cruel black eyes, devilish horns, and a gleaming brass ring between its nostrils. It wore nothing except for Calvin Klein underwear, which might have been funny if it hadn’t been for the terrifying mass that made up everything else.

Hitoshi recognized the monster—it had been one of the first stories Mr. Brunner taught them—but it couldn’t be real.

“Fuck, I wish I’d known how badly they wanted to kill you.” His dad whispered, glaring up at the approaching mass. 

“But he’s the Min—”

“Don’t say his name, “He warned, “names have power.”

The tree was still too far away, uphill. The bull-man was hunched over their car, sniffling the seats.

“Dad, what’s he doing? Doesn’t he see us?” Hitoshi asked, watching the creature.

“His sight and hearing are terrible, but his smell will lead him to us.” His dad said grimly, stepping forward quickly.

The bull-man bellowed, picked up the car, and threw it at the road. The car skidded across the road in a row of sparks.

“Hitoshi,” His dad spoke, “When he sees us, he’ll charge. Wait until the last second, then jump out of the way—directly sideways. He can’t change directions very well once he’s charging.” His dad stared at him for a second, “Do you have the necklace?”

“How do you—yeah, I do.”

“If we can’t get there in time you need to use it. I’m not sure how it works exactly, but she said it would.”

There was a bellow again, and the creature starting tramping towards them. He’d smelled them.

The pine tree was close, but the hill was getting steeper, and Iida was getting heavier with every step. They only had a few minutes at best before the creature reached them.

His Dad shouldered Iida, ignoring the clear exhaustion he must have felt.

“Split!” His dad called, and Hitoshi listened, spliting to the left quickly.

The thing was watching him, big lumbering steps as he got closer and closer.

Hitoshi felt a jolt of adrenaline, but he knew he couldn’t outrun him. The thing charged, and at the last minute, Hitoshi jumped to the side, feeling a gush of air and the smell of rotting meat. The creature groaned in frustration, and turned towards his dad who was setting Iida down in the grass.

They’d made it to the top of the hill, and Hitoshi could see the valley and the dimly lit porch of the farmhouse. Hitoshi knew they couldn’t make it. His dad was trying to coax the creature away from Iida, back down the hill.

“Run, Hitoshi,” he screamed, “I can’t go any further, run!”

Hitoshi stood there, frozen in fear, as the monster charged at him. The creature’s hand sot out and he grabbed his dad as he tried to sidestep, lifting him in the air as he struggled to get away.

“Dad!”

He caught his eye, and mouthed at him to go.

With an angry roar, the monster closed its fist around his neck, and his dad dissolved in a melting, shimmering light—and he was gone.

Anger replaced fear and a rush of strength burned through him. The bull-man turned to face Iida who laid helplessly.

Fuck, Hitoshi couldn’t lose him too—

“Hey, ground beef!” he screamed, “You’re a fucking asshole!”

It charged, and Hitoshi had a wonderfully stupid idea. He was hoping that is he jumped out of the way at the last minute, the creature would run into the looming tree.  
It was too fast and its arms reached out to grab him no matter which way he tried to dodge. Hitoshi couldn’t think, he could only move. He gripped his necklace hard, the chain cutting into his palm as he yanked it off. He had only a second to consider the heavy weight in his hand as he slashed forward, a heated cry from the creature as he slashed up with a glinting dagger, held fast to his wrist with a chain.

It didn’t kill the creature, but it made it angry. The creature smacked him, sending him flying through the air, and Hitoshi hit the ground hard and painfully. When he got up his vision was blurry, but the creature was charging. As it barreled past, Hitoshi drove the dagger into his right side, thrusting as fiercely as he could.

The bull-man roared in agony, and began to disintegrate— not like his dad had, but blown away in chunks like Ms. Dodds.

The rain puttered to a stop, and the storm rumbled in the distance. Hitoshi was wobbling, and he felt week and scared and shell-shocked with grief. He wanted to sit down and cry, to close his eyes and wake up and he be back at home. He wanted none of this to have happened, to run into the kitchen and hug his dad and not be scared and sad and— 

Iida was groaning. Fuck, he couldn’t just—Hitoshi hauled Iida up and staggered down into the valley, towards the lights of the farmhouse, holding onto Iida as hard as he could...

He collapsed on a wooden porch, hearing the bare whispers of words as he succumbed to darkness.

“He’s the one, He has to be.”

* * *

Hitoshi was having a weird dream, weird vivid images so far removed from the outside world that it all dissipated for a moment. There were flashing lights from cameras, a large screaming crowd pushing against him. He felt a hand curl around his wrist, a bodyless being that led him to a small room, closing a door behind them. He was left in a room, unmistakably the backstage of a theater or opera house—a large lit of mirror, tubes of makeup and hairspray across a pristine vanity. There was a woman sitting in a throne like chair in front of the mirror, coating her lashes carefully with mascara. The woman was beautiful but untraceably so—her features seemed to be shifting—tall, no she’s short; freckles and a rosy blush; long hair turned short like a pixie cut—she looked as if she came out of Hollywood, her beauty illuminated by the bright lights that shone through every inch of the room. She looked up at him, a gleaming and predatory smile on her face.

“Oh, Hitoshi _darling_ , my little showstopper at last.”

Hitoshi felt the weirdest feeling in his chest, a tense itching.

“How sweet, you have your necklace!" She cooed, "Don’t worry, it suits your eyes far too well for me to let you lose it sweetheart, it’ll go back once you’re done using it. Oh my, you’ve gotten so big, such a pretty child.”

“Thanks?” Hitoshi felt bewildered, but he could feel a threatening feeling in his gut, something telling him to be careful. 

“You’re very welcome. And Angel, don’t fret—I’ve got some plans for you, a cutie on the way. Here, I have a gift for you sweetie, it should help you later on.”

The woman clasped his arm gently and pressed her lips to his wrist, lipstick staining the edges. It faded quickly, the small imprint lightly sketched on, barely noticeable.

Hitoshi stared, confused.

The woman stood up, impossibly tall. She cupped his face between her hands, pinching at his cheeks slightly. And then, she was gone.

* * *

Hitoshi woke up to a beautiful face. There was a boy hovering above him, intently staring at him as if he was trying to figure out a complicated word search. The boy was lithe and short. He had unruly, soft, green hair that framed his face with little curls, reminded Hitoshi of the princesses from the movies he’d watch with his Dad. His face was covered in freckles, the sun-kissed skin lit by a rosy hue from an ever-present blush. His eyes were gray, a shimmering shadow that had flecks on green along the brim of the iris, beautiful, but intimidating—like a storm.

When he noticed that Hitoshi had woken up he smiled lightly, a glean in his eye as if he was sizing Hitoshi up, already picking up weaknesses and strengths.

Look—the boy was cute, but Hitoshi kinda had a thing for people that could kick his butt, so that was definitely making the waking up experience a doozy.

“You drool when you sleep,” the boy informed him, and Hitoshi couldn’t tell if he was unimpressed or struck with a curiosity that left him unaware of social cues.

Based on the look of slight regret on his face, Hitoshi figured it was the second.

“Uhh, thanks?”

Fuck, now there’s two socially inept people having a conversation.

He heard a slamming of a door distantly, and he finally took in where he was. He was in a small bed with what must have once been medically-white sheets, but were now dirt and blood stained slightly, not saved by a thorough wash. The room was small but had a few beds. There were boxes of band aids and gauze on the countertops.

“Where—”

“Camp Half-Blood. You got here a few days ago. Uh, I assume that was what you were trying to ask me at least? Sorry, I kind of have a problem with that sometimes.”

“The summer camp—that means—is my dad—”

The boy paled and looked very awkward. The boy moved one of his hands to cup his face lightly, a soft touch that did nothing to lessen the blow of what was happening.

“Fuck. And Iida—”

“Iida is okay! He’ll probably stop by in a bit. It’ll be better if he and Chiron explain everything to you probably, it’ll be easier than a stranger doing it I bet.”

As if on cue there was a knock on the door of the room, and a gruff voice that Hitoshi recognized instantly as his friends.

“I brought nectar—I figured he had a few more injuries that needed—”

He walked in, goat legs out on display. Hitoshi felt like he was going to have a panic attack, he could feel the trembles of anxiety bubbling up under his skin.

“ ’Toshi, I’m glad you’re awake. We need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!!! thank you so much for reading!!  
> life has been chaotic lately so I haven't had much time to work on this—but!! here's a new chapter!! I have stuff planned for this, another chapter fit, and potentially some late responses to shindeku month, so Imma have my hands full ;,,) 
> 
> anyway!! I really hope you liked it :OOO  
> Its gonna start getting gay! And also, debating Mr. D because on one hand,,, prob should put him in,,, but on the other,,, *shrugs in a non-committal way* 
> 
> I'm an attention addict, the more people comment or like this the more I wanna write for it :P  
> thanks again!!  
> you can also hmu on tumblr if u wanna chat fanfiction! @mytwobraincellsaregay


	4. look, someone had to be Luke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr.D? bad vibes. His new counselor? Slightly better vibes. The whole ordeal about gods and his dad's disappearance? Fuck that shit.

Though it was lightly mortifying to need the cute boy to help him sit up in bed, it was a better alternative to laying down for what he could only hope would be a very informative conversation with Iida.

The hefty mortification came after that. Now, Hitoshi knew the boy was just trying to be helpful and that it wasn’t the boy’s fault that Hitoshi was very gay. Iida had attempted to hand him a tall, glass of what appeared to be iced apple-juice. Hitoshi hadn’t realized he was as thirsty as he was until he saw the beverage. He had gone to grab it with weak, shaky hands, and almost dropped it as soon as it was passed to him. The boy had taken it from his grasp almost immediately, shooting Iida a look that clearly read, ‘do you have a brain or do you run of idiocy?’. The boy edged forward in his seat slightly, clutching the drink like a life-line. He tentatively put a hand behind Hitoshi’s head, surveying the look on his face carefully as he did so, watching for discomfort. He then guided the cup to his lips, helping him drink.

It was by far, one of the gayest and most embarrassing moments Hitoshi had had in a long time. The boy himself was supporting a blush, and for a brief second Hitoshi had the vaguest recollection of the woman from his dreams.

Iida took a seat down on the other side of Hitoshi, watching vigilantly as Hitoshi gulped down the drink.

It was not apple-juice, that was for sure. As he drank it, he felt a warm feeling settle in his chest, a reviving energy that shot through his veins. Its taste was surprising—it tasted like a liquid cookie. Well, not just a cookie. It tasted like the ones he had made with his dad and Yamada a few weeks ago for movie night. Yamada mostly made them, but let him help shape them on the tray so that he could feel like a participant. It didn’t take away the sickening feeling of grief that was weighing him down, but it felt like he was back at home for a minute.

He drained the glass.

“How do you feel?” The boy asked him, warily looking at the unmelted ice cubes at the bottom of the glass.

“Like I drank coffee mixed with Redbull but the flavor wasn’t shit.”

The boy looked him over, watching as the last of his cuts closed up and the flush come back to his skin. Hitoshi could feel it happening, and was confused. Did the cute boy just give him drugs?

“Good. That’s good. You definitely should not have any more of that.”

The boy looked over at Iida as he held the glass gingerly, as if the glass would explode if he dropped it or let it touch him. They stared at each other for a moment, as if they were conversing silently. The boy nodded and stood up. “Well, I’m going to go put this glass way. Oh, I should let Mr. D and Chiron know that you woke up too.” He gave Hitoshi a little wave as he left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

“Iida? Can you please tell me what’s going on? I feel like my head is going to explode.”

Iida looked concerned at the phrase, “Maybe we did give you too much.”

“Not literally,” Hitoshi sighed. He was trying really hard to be patient, but he was being critically tested.

“it’s very complicated. I guess I should start with thanking you. You saved my life.”

Hitoshi felt wary. He had partially been hoping, to a degree, that maybe the fight had been a dream—if it was real than…

Hitoshi decided to ask something else instead, to clarify before jumping in—that’s what his dad would want him to do. “Why did I need to? That thing—that was the Minotaur—”

Iida tensed, “Be careful with names—”

“That’s what they call him, isn’t it? In the myths?”

Iida eyed him, before carefully speaking. “You’ve been out for a few days, what do you remember?”

Hitoshi remembered a lot. In particular, he remembered a lot of things that he was hoping desperately were less real than he remembered. He remembered a few things that he was hoping his mind had made up to fill in blanks of information, or to account for glitching.

“My Dad, Is he really…”

Iida looked down.

Hitoshi felt like he was going to cry. He could feel his eyes getting wet and frantically blinked. He couldn’t cry—not now. He couldn’t cry when he was being watched like this, not when he didn’t know what was going on or what had happened. But, fuck.

“I’m sorry. I failed you,” Iida told him after a moment of tense silence, guilt-ridden. “Gods, I must be the worst satyr in the world.”

The two of them fell quiet again. Hitoshi could tell that Iida was sitting there, wallowing in the blame for a situation that couldn’t have been his fault. He couldn’t speak though, for a little while. He knew that if he opened his mouth that he would cry. If he tried to talk it would be broken, and Iida would know in an instant.

After a bit, he was able to compose himself enough to talk.

“It wasn’t your fault”

“Yes, it was,” Iida argued pitifully, “It was my duty to protect you.”

“Did my dad ask you to protect me?”

“No, but that’s my job as a keeper. I have failed both you and the legacy bestowed upon me by my ancestors, and for that I am sincerely sorry, Hitoshi.”

Iida looked awful. In the time that Hitoshi had known him, he’d almost always looked painstakingly put together. Now though, his hair was messy, and Hitoshi could see the traces of eyebags and red-rimmed eyes. Iida, was clearly upset with himself. What was Hitoshi supposed to say though? How could Hitoshi convince Iida that things were okay when they weren’t?

After a moment of contemplating, he finally asked, “I—Iida, please, just explain what’s going on? A keeper? Why do you need—”

Iida looked hesitant in his explanation.

“Hitoshi, you were always one my Chiro—Mr. Brunner’s bet students, correct?”

“Yes?”

“There’s a reason for that. You’re more suited to remember them then most students, its vital for you to know them.”

There was a knock on the door, to Hitoshi’s displeasure and Iida’s relief—he had finally been about to get some answer. It was the boy again. The boy explained himself briefly, saying that the head of the camp wanted to meet him now, and that he needed to be respectful.

The boy led him to the living room of the building.

“Oh, you’re alive,” grumbled a voice, suddenly.

Hitoshi looked up to see that he was standing in front of a scruffy looking man, who was looking at him with distaste.

“I suppose that seems like good news for you, at the moment at least. With what the others have planned for you… well it’s going to be a lot of paperwork for me since you made it to our little ‘safe haven’ first.” The man spoke maliciously, looking at Hitoshi as if his very existence was offensive.

“Excuse me sir, I’m a little confused.” Hitoshi self-preservation instinct was yelling at him to be respectful despite the fact that the man looked like a bum.

The man sighed bitterly, “Great, you haven’t been debriefed. This is out of my pay grade, brat, which is saying a lot since I’m _forced_ to be here, not paid.”

Hitoshi just nodded.

The man muttered to himself, “Here comes another terrible day at his hell-hole. It was _one_ romp in the woods with a nymph, and it’s not like everyone else hasn’t done it. Yet here I am, running a summer camp for a bunch of needy _half-bloods._ ”

Hitoshi got caught up on that word—” Half-bloods?”

The man groaned and then just gestured towards the cute boy that had led him into the room.

“You, explain so I don’t have to.”

“Sure thing, Mr. D!” the boy said cheerfully, and then shifted to face Hitoshi. “Half-bloods means half godly heritage and half mortal. Most kids at camp are direct descendants of the gods as it’s not easy to survive long enough to have kids, but there are a few legacies—” the boy started to ramble, but Hitoshi cut him off asking, “Sorry, but did you say gods?”

The boy went to answer, but ‘Mr. D’ responded first, “the gods are real, yippee skippy,” he drawled.

“The _Greek_ gods, to be exact.” The boy added.

God, Hitoshi was three seconds away from bashing his head into a wall.

‘Mr. D’ had sat down at a large circular table, littered with scorch marks and dents. He sat next to a person he hadn’t noticed at first, and definitely hadn’t been expecting to see.

Mr. D sighed as he surveyed the room, “Where’s the horse?”

“Chiron will be here in a minute, Mr. D,” Iida explained in a polite stiffness that seemed a little tense even for him. “He just needed to work out a minor complication concerning tonight’s capture the flag game.”

“Chiron? Whose—”

Mr. D looked like he was seconds away from hitting him.

“Oh, I see, we forgot introductions, didn’t we?” Iida said apologetically. “Because, knowing you, you were too awkward to ask for one. And knowing Mido, he was too flustered to think to give one.”

The green haired boy had a pink tint to his cheeks, a little embarrassed by his lack of social etiquette.

“Hitoshi, the green haired boy who tended to your injuries is Izuku Midoriya, a son of Athena. Midoriya, the boy you tended the injuries of is Hitoshi Aizawa.”

Mr. D quirked an eyebrow at Iida and pointed to himself, obviously requesting an introduction as well so he would be saved the effort.

“And this is Mr. D, our camp director. He is the god of wine and madness, Lord Dionysus.”

Though Hitoshi felt three seconds away from a mind melt down, he managed a strained, “It’s nice to meet you,” a habit trained into him by Yamada, who insisted that his dad’s habit of glaring down newcomers he didn’t want to talk to was a poor social skill.

There was a thumping from outside. Mr. D was taking a deep breath and looking at the ceiling as he took a swing from a diet coke can.

Iida swiftly went to open the door, holding it for a large figure that entered the room.

“Mr. Brunner? You’re here too? And you’re a… horse?” Hitoshi asked. He was feeling a little faint, the information overload starting to make his head hurt.

“Well, the term, first of all, is ‘ _centaur_ ’ and secondly, my true name is Chiron. Mr. Brunner is just the stage name, you see,” Chiron explained, as if that cleared up any questions instead of just raising more of them.

“Like… the hero trainer? From the myths?”

The room stilled for a second, and Mr. D looked up with beady eyes.

“Would you like to be called a myth? When you die, hopefully soon, would you like to be chocked up to folk tale, a _story_ to help little boys get over losing their fathers? Rude,” the man scoffed.

“Sorry?” Hitoshi asked, offended but trying not to offend, the fire alarms in his brain going off a little as he took in the upset man. He felt angry too—he could tell that that was the man’s intention though. Mr. D looked pacified nether-the-less, with a hint of constant irritation.

“Regarding the sediment, yes, that would be me. I had meant to tell you, but the less you know when outside of camp the safer you are,” Chiron told him, providing only vague information.

“Mr. Bru—Chiron, I’m a little—very, confused about what’s going on.”

“Well, perhaps we can give you some answer over a game. Mr. D and I always play cards around this time since most of the campers are in activities. After a few rounds we can introduce you to the head counselor of the cabin you’ll be staying in. Iida, Midoriya, would the two of you like to play?”

The two shared a quick glance before they nodded, taking a seat at a large, round dinner table in the middle of the room. They sandwiched Hitoshi between them, as if trying to protect him from the threatening vibes that Mr. D was directing at him. Mr. D passed out the cards swiftly, the well-practiced ease of card dealing. It was surprising, them, that Mr. D agreed with Chiron’s suggestion of Go Fish.

There was chatter as they played, and with each passing word Mr. D seemed to get crosser, displeased with the lack of attention on the game.

“I must say, Hitoshi, I’m glad to see you alive,” Chiron announced as he shuffled the cards in his hands. “It’s been a long time since I’ve made a house call, I’d hate to think I’d wasted my time.”

“House call?” Hitoshi asked, curiosity overriding his survival instincts.

“My year at the Academy, to instruct you. We have satyrs at most schools, keeping a lookout and whatnot. Iida altered me once he met you, said you were special, so I decided to come. I convinced the other Latin teacher to. . . take a leave of absence, so to speak.”

Hitoshi was a little dumbfounded, “Why would go there just to teach me?”

From across the table, angrily peering over his cards, Mr. D snorted, “I asked him the same thing.”

Chiron asked Midoriya if he had any fours, sighing a little as he was rejected. He then spoke to Hitoshi again, “Hitoshi, did your father tell you nothing?”

“He mentioned this camp, said that my mom wanted me to go here. He gave me this necklace too, he said it would protect me. He didn’t mention anything past that.”

Chiron glanced at the necklace, “That confirmation is a little concerning,” he muttered. Mr. D glared at the chain, looking as if he wanted to bash in Hitoshi’s head, but was too lazy to go through with it.

“He said he wanted me to stay with him though, so he didn’t take me here before.”

Mr. D scoffed, “Typical, that’s how they usually get killed. Now, tell me Harvey,” the man’s eyes glinted with disdain, “Do you have any threes?”

“It’s Hitoshi, uh, sir.”

“Threes,” Mr. D replied, a bitter taint to his tone.

Hitoshi passed over two cards.

They played in silence for a few rounds—when Chiron had tried to speak, the air around them seemed to grow colder as Mr. D’s face twisted into a scowl.

“Uh, Mr.D, sir?” Iida asked, breaking the mood. “Are you going to eat that?”

Mr. D quirked an eyebrow. Iida elaborated, “The coke can, sir, just if you weren’t going to—”

Mr. D slid the can across the table. Iida bit a chunk out of it, looking mournful.

They went through a few more rounds.

Hitoshi felt almost relieved that he didn’t win—he felt that Mr. D would not be a gracious loser. He was proven right by the irritated flicker that crossed the man’s face as Midoriya won the game.

Mr. D stood up. “I’m tired, I’m going to take a nap before the kids beat each other up tonight. But first, Iida, we need to talk about your less-than-perfect performance.”

Iida looked terrified, “Yes, sir.”

They two walked out of the room, Iida looking miserable.

“Midoriya, would you be kind enough to grab one of the new camper kits from my office and meet us at cabin eleven in a little while, that would be wonderful,” Chiron requested, receiving a thumbs up 

The two walked outside and Chiron explained the rest of it, bringing everything together. Chiron asked for the chance to explain the basics before questions were asked. He explained to him that the Greek myths were not merely legends, but real people and creatures that lived in ancient and modern times wherever the western culture was most prominent. Campers live in their parent’s cabin once their claimed, rooming with their brothers and sisters. Some gods don’t claim their descendants on purpose, so putting someone they haven’t claimed in their cabin can anger them. On the other hand, children of demigods, legacies, would live in the Hermes cabin so that there wouldn’t be godly arguments over which cabin a child would be put in. Chiron mentioned that monsters could smell the power of demigods and would attack them, and that the more demigods knew about their legacy the more prominent their scents would be to monsters. And then finally, that he was at a safe haven for demigods. A place where they would be trained to fight and harness their abilities. A summer camp, or yearlong for some, called _Camp Half-Blood._

It was a lot of information to take in, but Hitoshi was an adaptable person. So, he only had a few questions, the first?

“So, where is my dad?” he asked.

“ Iida said he fought bravely, but a mortal against a minotaur….”Chiron said gently.

“No- it, it had to a dream. Dad, he—he can’t be gone.” Hitoshi stuttered out, horrified.

“I’m so sorry, Hitoshi.” Chiron said apologetically.

“ Well, it’s my fault, he was trying to protect me… ” Hitoshi realized, filled with a gut-retching guilt.

“You mustn't blame yourself.” Chiron tried to reassure.

“You say the gods are real, so how could they let that happen?” Hitoshi demanded angrily.

“I'm afraid there are some questions only the gods themselves can answer. Look for their sign. A sign that the gods have a plan.” Chiron patiently replied. “And, if the prophecy rings true, I suppose that won’t take too long.”

“Prophecy?”

“Aah, look, it seems we’ve arrived.

Hitoshi hadn’t really been paying attention to where they were going—he was too occupied with the overload of life-changing information and the faint but undeniable scent of strawberries that seemed to me a constant around camp.

He became more aware when they stopped walking. They were standing in front of a warn-down, log cabin. The windows had thick glass with long cracks through them, ragged blinds pinned to its sides. The door was closed, hiding the chaos of the room in a half-assed effort.

Chiron knocked on the door.

There was a sound of scuffling, and then the door was opened.

In the doorway stood—now, forgiven Hitoshi’s gay heart—probably one of the hottest people he’d ever seen, right up there with everyone else he’d seen at the camp so far (especially the cute son of Athena he’d made a fool of himself in front of). This boy wasn’t exactly his type, but the gods gave Hitoshi eyes for a reason, so he was all for momentarily appreciating the man even if he wasn’t particularly attracted. Hitoshi was starting to feel like everyone at this camp was just unfairly good looking—

“Todoroki, I brought you a new cabin member.”

The boy in front of him—undeniably beautiful with two toned hair despite the painful looking scar—was giving him a small smile, offset by monotone eyes.

“Aah, Mido did give me a headsup earlier that we were getting a newbie. I cleared the cabin out a little so we wouldn’t overwhelm him,” he reported to Chiron.

He held out a hand a hand to Hitoshi, poised and indifferent.

“It’s nice to meet you, I’ll be your new unofficial counselor from now on. I’m Todoroki Shouto.”

“Unofficial?”

“I’m a legacy so I can’t be the official head of the cabin, but I’m the closest thing to responsible we’ve got. If you need anything you can come to me.” The boy smirked a little, an almost undetectable bitterness in his voice, as he ushered Hitoshi into the room, “Welcome to the dysfunctional family of Cabin Eleven.”

“I’ve got it from here Chiron—I trust Mido is on his way with a kit?”

After Chiron’s confirmation, he tramped off. Todoroki showed him around the room. The cabin was jam-packed. There were bunk beds lining the walls and sleeping bags covering the floor. There was a small bathroom attached with a toilet and a sink—Todoroki mentioned there were communal showers in a different area of camp that he’d be happy to show him. The room was clearly packed with kids—it made his introverted-lack-of-social-abilities skin crawl. Todoroki seemed to notice the discomfort.

“You’ll get used to it. I’m not the most outgoing person myself, but there are some places around camp you can go to if it gets too much. I’ve been sharing my bed with our figure head leader for a few years, but he got eaten about a week ago on his way to camp, if you want to take his spot.”

Hitoshi thought about saying no—he didn’t know this guy and he felt weird taking the spot of a dead kid—but he realized he wasn’t going to get any better offers.

Hitoshi thanked him and sat tentatively on the foot of the bed. Apparently, they would split the bed in a half, his spine would be cramped, but it was better than getting kicked on the floor all night.

Todoroki was explained camp activities—dinner, training, arts and craft, games—and he used it to distract himself. When Todoroki slowed down everything seemed to come back at once— his dad was—

Todoroki was looking at him with a sense of understanding, an appreciation of the bitterness Hitoshi was feeling.

“I know this is a lot at once, it’s going to be okay though. We all get it, you’re not alone.”

“I just don’t get—if my mom is a god, why would she—”

“Here's some advice: don’t try to understand it, it won’t do you any good. The gods don’t often care, if they do, it’s because they want something. But Hitoshi, if you hold a grudge just know you aren’t alone— the people in this cabin, most of us don’t know our godly parent, or we’re stuck between gods who don’t want their legacies to stay with one side of the family, or we’re the child of a minor god without a cabin—we’ll be here. You’re a part of the family now, and we protect our own.”

Hitoshi allowed himself to smile, reflecting the look on Todoroki’s face. He was relieved—at least someone seemed to understand that everything here was bat-shit insane.

There was a knocking on the door. Before Todoroki could answer it, it was flung open, revealing Midoriya, who was carrying a sleeping bag and a large drawstring bag.

“There’s toiletries and a change of clothes in there. We have occasional days out of camp to buy clothes and stuff if you need it, it’s in about a month though, so if you need anything, I’d be happy to help, it’s easy to get stuff around here if you know who to go to.”

“I don’t take drugs?”

“I meant toothpaste.”

Hitoshi felt himself going red, embarrassed. He could hear Todoroki stifled a laugh. Geez, was he doomed to look stupid in front of cute boys?

Midoriya handed him the bags, “I was able to find a child of Hecate to do an Anti-theft spell on it, so don’t worry about it getting swiped. We are teaming up with their cabin tonight though.” He gave Hitoshi a reassuring smile, and it momentarily melted the gross feelings that had been residing in his chest.

“We?” Todoroki asked Midoriya, raising an eyebrow.

“Athena, Hecate, Apollo, and Hermes—unless you’re willing to work with Kaachan when we have a chance like this?”

Todoroki smirked, a devilish glint in his eyes. “It’s always a pleasure to fight alongside the Athena cabin. I assume you have a plan?”

“I’ll explain it in detail before the game, I don’t want the uh _variable_ in the plan to get leaked.”

Hitoshi didn’t like the sharp, almost crazed look he was shot—calculating a cold. It was stark difference from the warmth the green-haired boy had been directing at him since he woke up—this one spoke of trouble.

It was setting off an alarm system in the back of his brain, because he was certain that the _variable_ had something to do with him, especially because Midoriya wouldn’t elaborate. Hopefully, his part in the plan would, at the very least, give Midoriya a better impression of him if he didn’t screw up? Besides, would be used a pawn in a _summer camp game_ really be that bad? Todoroki was nice, Midoriya was nice _and cute_ , and it sounded like Iida would be there—how bad could it be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading!!!! i hope you enjoyed it!!!!! i'm really excited because capture the flag is next :OOOO  
> I'm hoping to update this fic at least once a week, so I should have the next chapter up soonish! School sucks though, so y'all will have to bear with me lol.   
> Look, I know we all love Todoroki—as we should! But, can you deny that his daddy issues and friendship with Midoriya don't vibe with Luke's character in the first book? 
> 
> Thanks again for reading!!!!!!!! :OOOO i appreciate it!!!


	5. gotta catch them all (flags)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hitoshi gets a crash course on gossip and plays a deadly game of capture the flag. Also, he gets claimed because if I give this story any spacing I will never complete this :(

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi sorry for the wait but i forgot how to read

Hitoshi hadn’t thought it was stupid to ask when the game was—he was new, he wasn’t supposed to know this shit yet. Apparently, there were always a few campers unable to attend dinner after the game due to injuries, so all combat games had to be after meals.

Knowing that had not helped any anxiety Hitoshi had about the game.

After a crash course in camp activities curtsy of Todoroki—including a heartfelt yet bitter explanation that there’s was a very high chance he wouldn’t be claimed as it that was common, but even if he was claimed that he was still welcome to hang with him since there wasn’t a lot of mercy for newbies regardless of heritage—they made their way to the dining pavilion.

The dining pavilion, needing to fit all the campers, was huge. Framed by looming columns with bright torches, it hosted 12 large tables, one for each of the Olympians. Irritatingly, the tables were all the same size, despite a few tables having no others, and Hermes having twice as many campers as everyone else. When he’d asked about it, Todoroki had told him that having tables actually reflect the number of people at each table would be ‘disrespectful’ to gods with fewer children. Hitoshi thought it was bullshit, but that could just have been due to how crammed he was.

Todoroki had claimed an end of the table, strategically making sure he was only crushed on one side, but Hitoshi had not been as lucky. On his left side was Todoroki, whose shoulder was uncomfortably warm, especially with the already hot weather, and on the other, a camper who had energetically introduced himself as Denki. The guy was cute—but, most of the campers were unfairly beautiful, so Hitoshi chalked that up to the godly heritage—short and lanky, and had spiky blond hair with a few streaks dyed black. His eyes glinted mischievously, so despite his friendly exterior, Hitoshi was a little uncomfortable. Though having any stranger halfway in his lap would be uncomfortable, so maybe it was less on Denki and more on him.

Todoroki informed him that this was their cabin’s official counselor, a fact that was entirely due to him outlasting all the other Hermes kids. He was also more than willing to let Todoroki actually do the head of the cabin work—including attending camp meetings—so there wasn’t much drama between the two.

Denki had insisted on telling Hitoshi the “rundown” on the different cabins and the “need to know” about the campers because apparently, Todoroki was a buzzkill when it came to gossip.

The cabin next to them, 12, was Dionysus. There were only two members, both of which were more interested in taking care of the strawberry patch than picking fights; both were also known for drinking ungodly amounts of kool aid and grape juice.

The cabin on their other side, 10, was Aphrodite—a group that singlehandedly made every other camper look average in comparison. Denki informed him that there was “killer sex if you can swing it, but if you’re the one to suggest it you’ll def get punched” and that their personalities are “either chill as hell or just flaming garbage”. The head of the cabin, Kirishima, was in a relationship with the head of the Ares cabin, but they hadn’t labeled it yet so he was _technically_ single. He also pointed out Monoma Neito, who apparently would complain to anyone about how the Ares and Athena kids think they're better than everyone else, despite Aphrodite’s kids _clearly_ being superior—getting cornered by him would undoubtedly result in the rant. 

Next to Aphrodite’s cabin was Hephaestus, the only group that didn’t immediately seem like a catfish tinder profile because most were so covered in grease and dirt that he couldn’t tell if they were gorgeous or not.

There was the apollo cabin, which Hitoshi didn’t get a real explanation for as Denki was immediately flustered by the attention of Jiro, the head counselor, who’d flipped him off as soon as she’d caught his eye. Denki was blushing heavily, and Hitoshi felt a familiarity in Denki's bisexual disaster compared to his own gay disaster.

Athena’s cabin came next, and when Denki pointed them out, Midoriya had quickly caught his eye and waved shyly at them. He had been talking to Momo Yaoyorozu, the vice counselor, who apparently “loved women as much as Denki”.

Across from them was Demeter, who Denki wrote off fairly quickly. “Don’t piss them off, they will sick poison ivy on you. Also, lots of lesbians there. It’s pretty lit, we stan.” One of the campers, Tsuyu Asui had given him a smile when she caught him looking at him.

And then, Denki pointed out the Ares cabin. The kids sitting there were dense, tall, and let off an intense vibe of bloodlust and loathing. They all looked tense as if they couldn’t stand to be around their own cabinmates, let alone other cabins. Hitoshi realized he was being glared at by the head of the table, a brutal sneer frozen across the boy’s face as he sized him up.

The boy yelled at him from across the pavilion, “What are you staring at you fucking freak? Don’t fucking look at me, I’ll beat the shit out of you!”

Unscathed, Denki called back casually, “Cool it homie, just showing him the ropes”

The boy scoffed, gave him a look of utter disdain, before going back to arguing with the kid next to him.

“That's Bakugou, his personality is flaming garbage, but he’s hot so it's like whatever you know. He’s got a hella rivalry with Midoriya from Athena because Mido beat the crap out of him on his first day here. Just try to avoid him, he’s got a thing for newbies.” 

Hitoshi turned towards Todoroki, “So we have to beat that guy? At the game tonight? That seems…unlikely”.

Todoroki gave him a smirk—“Don’t worry, we’re working with Athena, and Mido always has a plan.”

The rest of dinner was a blur, and Hitoshi suddenly found himself in a makeshift locker room, being passed a few pieces of oversized bronze armor by Todoroki.

The room was crowded, filled to the brim with kids.

 _Apollo, Hermes, Hecate, and Athena_ Hitoshi thought, looking at the crowd of excited and apprehensive faces. Midroiya was in the center, his eyes calculating and impartial as he surveyed his numbers.

Midoriya started to go over the plan, his confident voice a stark difference from the flustered teen he’d met earlier. The defense was mostly Apollo kids as their archery was good for long-distance attacks. Hermes kids were the foot brigade. Children of Hecate, minor gods, and Athena were spread out through the different ranks.

Most of the plan flew over Hitoshi’s head as he didn’t know the places being referred to, most of the campers' names, or even what some of the duties being assigned meant.

And then Midoriya turned towards him, desolate and unbiased. “Hitoshi, you’re new, so honestly, we just don’t want you to mess this up. I want you opposite of the flag, near the river. You don’t have to do much, just try not to get maimed, okay?" 

Hitoshi was not a fan of some of the guilty glances being thrown his way, but it wasn’t like he knew a different thing to do—besides, it was just a camp game, right? So he just nodded slowly, a hesitant smile on his face. Midoriya smiled at him warmly, and Hitoshi found his worries momentarily forgotten. 

But as the game started, Hitoshi quickly realized that he was completely and utterly fucked. Maybe he should have known when they made him wear real armor, or when he saw people pull out swords, knives, and spears—but he’s only realized when he found himself alone by the river, the sound of confident and gaudy footsteps coming his way.

Hitoshi held up the shield he’s been handed—it looked worn as hell, like it only needed a few more strikes to shatter—and tried to mentally prepare himself to run.

Out of the woods, came that boisterous and brutal looks—Bakugou. _Oh_ , Hitoshi thought, _the variable was me getting my ass handed to me by Barbie on steroids._

“You’re the extra who killed the Minotaur? I call fucking bullshit, you look weak as fuck. I had hoped that someone who had the fucking balls to fight a monster on his first day of camp would look a little less pathetic, but you’re just extra scum, huh.”

Hitoshi felt a rush of fear as the boy got steadily closer. He inched backward slowly, hoping that if he were subtle enough the boy wouldn’t attack.

“ The flag isn’t over here—”

“I’m not here for the fucking flag, fuckface. You might have taken down a monster, but you ain’t shit newbie, and I’m going to show you right fucking now where you actually stand in this place.”

_Oh. F u c k_

Bakugou approaching him cockily, striking out with a long, glinting spear. It pierced into his shield. Hitoshi had thought himself lucky for a moment until he felt a jolt of electrical heat tase through him. He dropped his shield as the metal burned him, and was immediately punched in the face.

Bakugou was smiling cruelly, clearly pleased by Hitoshi’s fear.

Hitoshi felt a rush of adrenaline spike through him, and like the idiot he is, channeled it into sarcastic deflections, “I’m glad you’re into this, but you know it’s bad etiquette not to ask for my safe word before a scene—” 

“Oh my fucking gods, now I have to also puke on your corpse, What the fuck.”

The spear came towards him again, and Hitoshi barely avoided the attack. As he dodged, Bakugou kicked him hard in the side, shoving him into the ground. He held up his spear again, electricity crackling down the sides.

_Fuck, this guy was really about to kill me._

Hitoshi, letting his instincts override in what he was sure was his last moments of life, spoke. He felt an undertone of power lace his words, the feeling of the glitch running through his veins, “ ** _Hey Pomeranian, can you back the fuck up?”_**

Bakugou’s eyes glazed over, and Hitoshi watched, shocked, as he stumbled back.

There was power coursing through his veins. He’d felt this before, the rush of control when people obeyed him, the sickeningly sweet taste in his mouth, words laced with sugar and blood.

Hitoshi decided it was best to test his luck before it ran out and whatever unnamed but familiar power he was using went away.

“Break your spear in half, and then throw it as far away as possible.”

Without hesitation, the boy broke the spear in half—the strength it took to do that terrified Hitoshi, especially because he was acutely aware of how pissed this guy was going to be—and threw the pieces behind him.

He stood there, completely vacant as if he’d forgotten how to function in light of the lilting voice telling him what to do. Hitoshi felt sickened by it but figured he could decide how he felt about this morally when he wasn’t in danger.

He started to back away, getting up as quietly and quickly as possible, hoping that Bakugou would be kept under long enough to get a good head start.

It almost worked.

It might have worked.

But then a loud horn noise blared through the woods, a chorus of cheers following it, signaling a victory. It jolted Bakugou out of his daze. The boy looked down at his empty hands, bleeding from breaking the spear, and seethed. He ran at him, coming towards him with a ferocious right hook.

But then, out of nowhere, materializing in front of him was Midoriya. He quickly grabbed Bakugou’s wrist, flipping him over. He pinned him to the ground with his foot, pressing into the small of his back with his steel-toed sneakers.

“DEKU, LET ME THE FUCK UP OR I’LL DESTROY YOU”

“Bakugou, the game is over. I’ll let you up if you promise to back off—I’m just here to collect Hitoshi.”

“LIKE HELL YOU’RE GOING TO COLLECT HIM, I DON’T GIVE A FUCK IF THE GAME IS OVER. THAT FUCKER MADE ME FUCKING—THAT WAS A GIFT FROM MY FATHER," and then turning his head to Hitoshi, yelled, " I’M GONNA CRUSH YOU, YOU’RE A FUCKING CORPSE.”

Bakugou swiftly grabbed Midoriya’s leg—Midoriya reacted too quickly to be pulled down, but Bakugou was able to regain his footing. He immediately went for Hitoshi again, “I’M GONNA FUCKING END YOU. PUNK, YOU'RE GONNA FUCKING DIE.”

“ Bakugou, there’s no maiming in capture the flag! Besides the game is over, you lost.”

“OH NO, THERE GOES _MY FUCKING DESSERT PRIVILEGES—_ DOES IT LOOK LIKE I FUCKING CARE, DEKU?" 

Around the edges of the forest, Hitoshi could see other people starting to approach them. Todoroki burst out of the woods, quickly assessed the situation, and placed himself between Hitoshi and Bakugou.

Bakugou attempted to push past him, even as Chiron trotted up to them, ready to put an end to the violence.

As Bakugou began to attack, Hitoshi let that instinct run through him with his frustration and fear—“ ** _Would you just stop? I’m not sure if I’m scared of you or just embarrassed for you at this point”_**

Midoriya and Todoroki looked at him, horrified, probably wondering why he was making such an idiotic move. But Bakugou was silent, his eyes glazed, and his angry rant cut off.

There were a few gasps in the crowd, and Hitoshi felt a little self-conscious—were they afraid? It wasn’t like, it wasn’t like he knew what was happening, or that he was going to do it to people—he just preferred his body in one piece, and this was currently helping him achieve that. 

Hitoshi turned his attention to Midoriya, ignoring the wide-eyed looks he was getting.

Well aware that his tone gave away the hurt he felt for the immediate betrayal of one of the few people he knew at camp, he addressed him, “You set me up? You put me here because you knew—”

Midoriya looked at him softly, looking guilty. Hitoshi could feel his anger weakening, which was frustrating.

“We had a plan—”

“A plan to get me killed?”

“No, I—I came as soon as I could! And I would have been here sooner, but I ran into some trouble on the way and—look, let's just get you checked out with the medics, they’ll heal up those bruises, no biggie.”

Midoriya inched closer to him, tugging on his arm gently, starting to lead him away from the Bakugou, who had been released from Hitoshi's control by Kirishima who, laughing, poked his cheek his gently. 

As Hitoshi’s body started to recognize that he was safe—if not by the game-ending, than by the very capable boy who was supporting Hitoshi’s weight effortlessly—he felt his body shut down, his adrenaline leaving and exhaustion setting in.

“Yeah, you definitely are gonna sleep well tonight. Charmspeak takes a lot out of a person, I hear.”

People were making a path for him and MIdoriya, and Hitoshi saw a few white tents nearby.

“Charmspeak? “

“What you did to Bakugou. Well, I mean, I probably shouldn’t say that, since you haven’t been claimed, but it’s a pretty rare trait for Aphrodite’s kids. I guess it could also apply to a minor god, but you’ll probably be claimed soon if it's Aphrodite, and that would certainly explain—” Midoriya cut off, and Hitoshi could see a fierce blush cross his cheeks. Midoriya coughed, and started speaking again, “I’ll stay by as you get treated, okay? We usually celebrate capture the flag with a campfire, obviously not mandatory due to conditions post-game, so ‘Roki and I will keep an eye on you tonight, okay?

They were moments from the tent when an auditable gasp hit the crowd.

“Hitoshi, “ Midoriya said softly, “stay calm”.

“Stay calm? What’s—”

As he said that, Hitoshi felt a rush of warmth brush over him. He felt the bruises he had started to fade, cuts mend themselves, healed and under the glossy finish of magically applied makeup.

He could see a pink glimmer surround him, glowing and glittering.

He felt cold dread rush up his spine as people around him started to kneel.

“It is determined,” Chiron’s voice rang out. “Aphrodite, goddess of Love, Beauty, Lust, and Desire. Hail, Hitoshi Aizawa, son of the Lady of the Doves.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... hi?   
> Okay, so it's been like the better part of a year haha. Homies let me tell you, a lot of shit has gone done (obviously 2020 bs, but a lot of personal shit too). I just haven't had time to write, and when I did I found myself too far out of the bnha fandom to write for the show!   
> My little brother recently made me start rewatching the show with him, so I have, at long-last, updated lol. I can't promise I'll update it for long, but I feel like y'all will get at least another couple chapters before I disappear again. I finished my college apps, so I should be free to write during my break! We'll see what happens.   
> Anyway,   
> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!!!!! I really hope you guys enjoyed it!!! I don't feel very confident in this as I haven't written these characters in a whileeeee, so please don't judge bad characterization too much!   
> I appreciate any comments and suggestions you guys might have!   
> Thanks again for your reading and support, I appreciate it a lot!


	6. the barbie squad sent tweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hitoshi meets the barbie squad and gets a camp-wide campfire peptalk. ft. gay

Hitoshi, full-disclosure, was not having a good time. He had, in his few moments of ignorance, been thankful that his injuries had been mended—and then he saw the way Midoriya was looking at him.

“Okay, so like, what the fuck?” Hitoshi asked, becoming aware of the aura that was surrounding him, like an extra layer of energy.

Midoriya just stared at him, a vivid pink blush spread across his face.

‘I-Um,” Midoriya stuttered, looking extremely flustered and distracted. Hitoshi wondered, for a moment, if there was something behind him, but then realized that Midoriya seemed to be trying really hard to keep his eyes from straying away from his face. _Was he caught up in some magic shit?_

Midoriya shook his head harshly as if he was trying to shake out disrupting thoughts. “It seems I was right, Aphrodite claimed you as her kid quickly. Which is good for you, not good for—” Midoriya cut himself off, obviously switching what he was going to say, “f-for the already established setup we had for you in Hermes haha.”

Hitoshi decided to let it slide, for the moment. “Alright, I’m going to pretend I’m coping with that enough to ask my second question: Is there something on my face? People are stating and with a little _too_ much interest.”

“Oh! Aphrodite's claiming usually involves her blessing. She uses the mist to like, basically give you a magic makeover for the next few days. It’ll fade, but until then you might get stared at a lot? It’s just like, you look really nice right now. I mean not that you didn’t look nice before! You did, like a lot, not now you’ve got like a bunch of extra pretty stuff going on, and its like really distracting and—,” he cut himself off, shaking his head again. “Look, sit tight for a minute here okay, I’m going to go find Kirishima. He’s the head of cabin 10, so he’ll help you get settled in. I’ll still pick you up later at your cabin if you wanna go to the campfire though?

“Yeah, sure—wait, I’m moving cabins?”

Suddenly, before Midoriya could answer, someone jumped in front of them, throwing their arm around MIdoriya’s shoulder.

“No need for a search party, I wouldn’t leave a homie hanging like that!” The boy shifted off of Midoriya so that he was fully facing Hitoshi. The boy was buff, toned muscles on display behind the flimsy tank top he was wearing, the material so thin it was practically see-through. It was clear he’d spent years training, and could probably bench press Hitoshi, no problem. He had spiky red hair, and when he smiled at Hitoshi welcomingly, his teeth were shark-like. He was undeniably handsome, but also had the “can-kick-ass” factor that was extremely appealing—honestly, the boy’s whole vibe screamed himbo. It made sense, Hitoshi thought, that this was a kid of Aphrodite—his kinda-brother, then?

“Bro! That was so manly! I totally thought you were gonna get like, gutted by Bakubro, but you absolutely killed it out there! Your charmspeak was so manly! We haven’t had a camper with that power since, uh, Nejire?... “ The boy trailed off in thought for a moment before continuing. “Anyway! Welcome to the family bro! I sent Aoyama over to the Hermes cabin to grab your stuff for you! We’ll get you settled in real quick!”

“Thanks? Sorry, I’m a little—”  
“Overwhelmed? Totally understandable, my guy! I’ll try and make sure everyone keeps introductions to a min—oh! You’ll get your own bed in 10, we’ve got way more room than 11”. The boy talked fast and confidently, friendly yet intimidating.

“Midoriya, thanks so much for keeping an eye on him! I really appreciate it, homie! I def owe you one,” Kirishima punctuated his thanks with a wink at Midoriya, who looked flustered.

Midoriya spoke up, a little nervous, “I trust you’ll take good care of him! Oh and, I was going to take him to the campfire tonight, do you mind if I drop by 10 later?”

Kirishima grinned, sharpened teeth on display in deadly excitement, “Oh **Hell** yeah, little man! Go for it, I’ve been waiting on you for _years_ , and I’ve got a good vibe about this.”

Midoriya, immediately, freaked out. “Wait! No, no, not like that! Just trying to be friendly!”

Kirishima just smirked at him, “Aah, I see how it is, playing hard to get, huh Mido? Don’t worry, you’ve got my full support! Mom seems…excited about the prospect as well.”

Midoriya paled at those words, but Hitoshi just felt confused.

Kirishima slung his arm around Hitoshi’s shoulder and started leading him away, heading in the direction of cabin 10, leaving behind a flustered and panicking Midoriya.

The cabin looked like a dollhouse. Like a scaled-down, one room, barbie dream house. The door to the cabin was a sweet pink, and the windows were lined with frilly curtains. Walking inside the room, Hitoshi got a strong whiff of perfume. There were bunk beds lining the walls: one side girls, one side boys, and the entire back quarter of the room was for the enbys. In between each set of bunk beds was a dresser with an ornate mirror. There was a bathroom attached like there was in the Hermes cabin, but this one looked significantly cleaner and the sink counter was covered in makeup palettes.

It looked like was out of a catalog for a teen girl’s room, or like if Valentine’s Day had been the only inspiration for the room. There were a few clothing items strewn across the floor, but Kirishima said that was pretty normal—pretty much everyone in the room shared clothes, gender binary be fucked, so there was always shit laying around.

There was only one available bunk on the boy’s side—apparently, it had been left as last because the top bunk was Monoma, a name Hitoshi immediately recognized from Denki’s warning. Monoma was a summer-only camper, so people made a point to move out of the bunks under or near him if possible before summer started. Hitoshi, of course, had no such luck, as seen from the fact that his drawstring bag and sleeping bag Midoriya gave him being placed, innocently, on the bunk.

Kirishima spent a while going over the camp activities schedule—it was pinned up the door, and changed slightly each week; the best hangouts around camp ranked on how romantic they were (how a lava rock-wall could anyway be romantic, Hitoshi had no idea, but Kirishima seemed sincere); bits of miscellaneous “need-to-know” gossip—mostly who in the camp was single and who in camp their cabin was trying to set up.

As soon as he sat down on his bed, tired from the game and lengthy info-dump, Kirishima shot him a blinding smile and said “I’m gonna release the flood gates if you’re ready. We haven’t had a new camper in a while, so everyone is gonna be hyped as hell, bro!”

Not really knowing what else to do, Hitoshi nodded.

The door was immediately flung open, and a group of people flamboyantly walked in.

“Monsieur, it was delightful to watch you stick it to Kiri’s boy-toy out there, absolutely fabulous!”

The boy talking was, as everyone who walked in the room was, a knockout. He had long blond hair that had been pulled back into a ‘sloppy’ bun, wearing enough highlighter that he was glittering, and had on an enormous, shiny belt.

“Uh, hi?”

“I’m Aoyama, darling, it’s a pleasure to—”  
Aoyama was cut off by being unceremoniously shoved aside.

Standing in front of him was his bunkmate. Despite looking hot as hell, the boy was definitely more punch-able than attractive. Hitoshi thought about Denki’s warning—flaming hot garbage personality. Voice as obnoxious as his vibes, Monoma announced, “It’s nice to know there’s someone here willing to throw hands with Bakubitch. The Ares cabin is in a permanent state of pigheadedness,” the boy turned to glare at Kirishima dramatically, “And yet, our fearless leader is too busy screwing them to knock them down a peg.”

“Hey, cut it with the slut-shaming, whore,” called the next voice walking in. The girl had bright orange hair pulled back in a slick ponytail, and looked like the embodiment of, ‘Oh, I just woke up this way.’  
She grabbed Monoma’s ear, yanking it slightly in reprimand. She addressed Hitoshi, “If you value your brain cells, just ignore Monoma. Let me know if he bothers you, I’ll take care of it. I’m Kendo by the way! It’s nice to meet you.”

Monoma quickly got out of her grasp and continued his dramatics, “Excuse me? I kill people’s brain cells? I think the fuck not, I’m just speaking the truth about how biased this camp—including my own cabin—are! I can’t believe, you all, my dear siblings themselves, would slut-shame me for my quest in liberation!”

Coming up next to Hitoshi was another girl, swiftly bypassing the arguing teens—looking at her head-on, Hitoshi felt like he should have noticed her sooner. She had bubble-gum pink hair, and flawlessly smooth, hot pink skin. He had absolutely no idea how that was biologically possible, but she wore it well. His confusion must have been clear, because she giggled and said, “Mist manipulation can work wonders, babe. Anyway, we’ve got a lotta inside jokes—if one of us calls something slut-shaming or calls you a slut of a whore, that’s just like a thing we do. If someone outside the cabin makes a comment like that to you, we’ll team up and break their face, for reals, mmk?”

She gave him a wicked smile and a firm pat on the shoulder.

Hitoshi felt overwhelmed to the extreme, but they seemed nice enough. Even Monoma sounded more asshole-about-outsiders as opposed to general-asshole, so he figured everything would be alright.

Monoma called out to him again, “Hey newbie, do make sure to check yourself before you wreck yourself. I totally saw you making eyes at that Athena kid, and you’re one of us now—”

He was quickly shut up by kendo throwing a hand over his phone, irritated.

Kirishima shot Monoma a disappointed look, “Man, we’ve told you to lay off Mido, he’s manly as fuck. ‘Sides, I already told you, mom says she’s got big plans for the two of them.”

Hitoshi was thrown off and concerned by that comment— “What exactly, do you mean by plans?”

Kirishima’s eyes glinted with mischief, on the brink of sadistic, and Hitoshi was reminded that none of the gods were benevolent—just because they might seem nice, or do you favor, doesn’t mean they have your well-being in mind. Kirishima seemed friendly, but he also looked like he was ready to go apeshit at a moment’s notice.

Several people exchanged looks across the room as if they were trying to decide if it would be more fun for Hitoshi to be in on it; it seemed like someone was about to speak up, but then there was a knock on the door.

It was a polite, two-toned knock, and then the patient silence of someone confident that they were heard the first time.

Kirishima quickly opened the door, revealing Midoriya. Midoriya, it seemed, had taken the hour or so Hitoshi had spent being shown around and meeting family, to wash up; unlike Hitoshi, he hadn’t been given a magical cleanup. Dried bloody and grime from the game was washed away, and he was wearing a fresh shirt, slightly damp from him not fully drying off before putting it on. The size of the shirt swapped him, making it clear it was more of a pajama top—probably swiped from a larger sibling—than day-to-day wear. Resting on top of it was a long, chain necklace with a ring threaded through it. He was, in accordance to Hitoshi’s impending doom, really fucking cute. Hitoshi couldn’t quite stop his eyes from wandering, taking in lithe but sturdy muscles, remembering how easily this boy could crush him. Hitoshi tried to put a stop to those thoughts—now was not the time or place to think about attractive men. He was given a few knowing glances from around the room as he forced himself to look up at Midoriya’s face instead of his toned body.

“Hi, Kirishima! I hope it's still alright to take Hitoshi over the campfire? No hard feelings if you guys planned something else, of course!”

Kirishima opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted.

“What, you think we can’t take him to the campfire ourselves? Think we need a child of Athena to show us around? You must have a real fucking big ego to think we need help—”

He was once again cut off by a frustrated Kendo, “Sorry Midoriya, he’s a handful.”

Kirishima waited a moment, clearing making sure the commotion was over and informed Midoriya that Hitoshi was more than welcome to go with him if he wanted to.

Oh boy, did Hitoshi want to.

The day was going by fast, so fast he could barely get used to something before it changed. It was overwhelming how his life had just completely flipped, and now nothing was solid or consistent. Midoriya, it seemed, was willing to be more-or-less consistent, violent-betraying-plans aside, if he let him.

Midoriya beckoned him out of the room with a sly smile, and they started to make their way to the campfire.

“Not too chaotic, I hope? I mean, none of the cabins are gonna be like… average teenage stuff because, you know, like mortal fear, but Aphrodite’s kids are usually chill unless you enter the romance scene.”

“Yeah, they seemed all right! A little intense, for sure. It kinda felt like a live-action dating app ad, except the actors were also a little terrifying.”

“Pretty accurate, honestly. Hey, I actually had a few questions for you.”

With that, Hitoshi quickly found himself swept up in a discussion on charmspeak, which he hadn’t been expecting. Midoriya, the boy explained, was fascinated by the individual powers of different demigods, and he hadn’t been able to ask questions to the last user. Hitoshi had asked him about that—hoping that maybe he could get some advice—but apparently, the girl was either missing or dead. Midoriya said he was confident that she was alive though. Apparently, she was on a quest with two of the other leads at camp—Mirio and Tamaki—and all three had disappeared, just moments after sending an Iris message to camp explaining they found refuge in San Francisco. The quest had been completed, so Midoriya was sure they’d survived. Either way, Hitoshi had little hope of instruction. Midoriya’s questions were guiding though—how long could it last? Could he did it at will, or was it just instinctive? How did people break out, and could he make it harder with focus?

MIdoriya’s excited rambling was cut off by the arrival of Iida, who seemed happy to see the two of them.  
“Hitoshi! I am glad to see you, congratulations on your claiming!”

Iida then addressed Midoriya, scoldingly, “Midoriya, we’ve spoken about the interrogations, at least three days of being friends first, remember?”

Midoriya just stuck his tongue out at him.

They arrived at the site soon after, taking spots on long logs that had been laid out into a shabby circle. There were a few campers already there, including Todoroki, who Midoriya lead them over to. Hitoshi found himself sitting between Midoriya and Iida, crammed together so they could sit near Todoroki, who had placed himself in the middle of the log. The placement seemed uncharacteristic—Hitoshi figured he wouldn’t wanna be squished, but the boy seemed comfortable.

It was already fairly dark out when they arrived, but by the time the rest of the attending campers filed in, it was too dark to see anything outside the fire.

On the log across from the circle, was Kirishima, almost entirely on Bakugou’s lap, forcibly keeping him from getting up to deck Hitoshi (though, Hitoshi noted, Bakugou could clearly have thrown him off if he’d really wanted to). Denki, Mina, and Sero–another son of Hermes—crowded alongside them.

With the logs filled up, and marshmallows were passed out by one of the Dionysus kids, Kirishima spoke up.

“Hey everyone! As you might be aware, my cabin gained a rad new member today! I thought it would be totally manly if all of us welcomed him with the customary ‘we all hate our parents’ pep talk!”

There were sounds of agreement around the circle, and Hitoshi turned to Midoriya for an explanation. Midoriya just told him, under his breath, that it just meant the discussion tonight was free reign ranting about parents.

Kirishima offered to start, as it was apparently traditional for the head counselor of the newbie to lead the rant—a show of faith that he wouldn’t immediately be struck down by offended gods.

“I’m Kirishima, as you all know, I use he/him pronouns, and I’m a child of Aphrodite.”

There were a few appreciative whistles, and Kirishima grinned. “Here’s my complaint for the night! So like, we all know, being the goddess of love and lust and all, mom is a little…flighty, I guess. I’ve met her a few times, and they have all been absolutely mortifying experiences. A couple of weeks ago, I had finally cleared out the cabin, you know set myself up for a little alone time, and brought home a boy, and then all of sudden she was just there. She handed me a bag of lingerie, winked, and then left. I couldn’t look him in the eye for a week I was so embarrassed.”

Kirishima didn’t name names, but Bakugou was looking very intensely at the fire.

There were groans of agreement and understanding before the next person spoke up.

Hitoshi, admittedly, didn’t pay much attention to most of them. He was tired, and the lull of voices with the heat of the fire was making it worse. He did perk up when Todoroki spoke.

“Todoroki, he/him, a legacy of Hephaestus and Khoine, a couple of generations back. My complaint for the night: as most of you know, I was “gifted” a quest a few years ago. I was supposed to steal one of the Golden Apples at the Garden of Hesperides, a request from my great grandmother. I failed, and I haven’t heard from anyone of my family—immortal or mortal—since. A lesson, for you Hitoshi, victory or failure—the attention of the gods is inconsistent and painful.

The group got mournful, quiet, a tense pity and anger—Hitoshi could see the burn scar covering his eye, and was reminded that in the myth of Hercules, there was a dragon that guarded that tree. Was that how he got it?

Todoroki broke the silence, awkwardly, “Mido, you next.”

“I’m Midoriya, I use he/him pronouns, and I’m a son of Athena,” his voice was soothing, despite the ever-present bitterness everyone was speaking with. “It would be a surprise if I ever met her. She didn’t exactly ask my father if he was interested in fatherhood before gifting me, so he wasn’t exactly excited to have a _distraction_ from his work. I didn’t see much of him when I lived there—I’m sure my cabin is aware that Athena has a …type for hard workers—and my step-father hates me, so I ran away. Found a gift from my mom in my bag the night I ran, and I’ve lived in camp every since. I guess, let’s hear it for the all-around shitty parents gang gang?

A good portion of the group called out gang gang in solidarity.

From his other side, Iida spoke, “So he’s not really my dad—”

There was a deafening sound of sighs as he started. “But I am his child, of sorts. Like all my ancestors before me, I have taken on the sacred mission of finding Pan, the god of the wild, who has been missing for thousands of years. It’s, well it’s quite stressful!”

Hitoshi was definitely zoning out. The more people spoke about their parents, the more reality really set in. He was alone, truly alone, for the first time—he had friends, and some half-siblings, sure, but it wasn’t…. It had been just over a day, and he had no idea what to do. Hitoshi refused to believe his dad was dead, but what else could be? But, he felt like he would know, he would know if his dad was dead, and his dad couldn’t be dead because he promised he wouldn’t leave him and—

Midoriya elbowed him gently, “What about you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah! Got any godly baggage?”

“I’ve—I’ve never met her, though.”

“And you probably won’t.”

Hitoshi stewed for a moment, realizing that if his dad was gone, it was something his mom—a literal goddess—had allowed; she could have stopped it. She hadn’t, she’d just let it happen.

“So my mom is a god, that’s…something. It’s too bad my life is such a fucking shit show because of it because that should be way cooler than it is. I hope I meet her, I have a few _choice words_ for her.”

Todoroki gave him a sympathetic smile, and Midoriya patted his thigh reassuringly. Denki called out, “Hell yeah! Shove it to the man!”, rallying a group of cheers.

Life was shit, there was no amount of forced optimism that could fix how fucked things were—his dad was gone, he’d left Yamada alone with a missing partner and kid—but at least everyone knew it was shitty.

When he got back to the cabin, he found that the group had scraped together some chocolate, a few bottles of nail polish, and a tube of eyeliner—a small, but a warm welcome to the family.

It was something, it wasn’t home, couldn’t be home, but it was something.

It’s a shame this new home only lasted a grand total of a week and a half.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi im back!!!  
> i'm trying to pump out as much as possible before I inevitably fall out of the fandom, so here you go!!! sorry if the characterization is off, I'm trying to get my footing with the characters again!  
> Thank you all so much for reading!  
> And thanks if you leave a comment, the support means a lot to me and really encourages me to keep updating!  
> I hope you all have a nice day!!! <3333

**Author's Note:**

> so!! if anyone recognizes this?? (doubtful) full disclosure, i started writing a fiction similar to this a while back that was tododeku. I got bored because i don't really ship that, so I figured??? why not try it with my otp. 
> 
> ANYWAY  
> thank you so much for reading!!! I hope you've enjoyed it so far!!  
> my finals just finished up so i've finally been able to write again!! i'm really excited about this one!! let me know if you liked it and if you have any suggestions :O

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Growing Up as Told by A Scrapbook](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22941337) by [theroseredreaper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theroseredreaper/pseuds/theroseredreaper)




End file.
